DS struggling to get an engineering job

[Enginer]

DS graduated in engineering with a 2.2 from Oxford. He didn’t apply to jobs while a student as the course was too intense.

He’s now really struggling to get anywhere with jobs. He’s applied to a few graduate schemes but got nowhere. He’s got as far as second interview with a speculative application but that’s it.

He is getting increasingly low about it and I’m worried about him. His mental health isn’t great anyway due to previous issues and he’s quite isolated as many of his friends have moved away.

Has anyone got any tips to pass on? Any good recruitment agencies to try? Is he stuffed because of his 2.2? He would like to live at home for the moment (London area) so maybe that is also part of the problem as many jobs are elsewhere.

To answer possible questions in advance, his CV looks quite good I think. He’s got some good internships on there and he has done things outside of formal study that are relevant to engineering (personal coding projects etc).

With a 2:2 he needs to do a specialised masters. Most engineeriny graduate schemes screen out anyone without a 2:1, automatically.

If that is not something of interest, he's going to need to look at smaller businesses and agencies, to get enough experience that the 2:2 is overlooked.

What sort of engineering does he want to go into?. Is it civil, mechanical, electrical?. I ask only as there is more than one type of engineering.

Has he approached engineering firms?.

Is his cv up to date and concise with it?.

Is he on LinkedIn?.

He’s interested in mechanical /aero.
He has approached a couple of firms but feels his lack of experience holds him back.
Yes his Cv is up to date and concise and yes he is on LinkedIn.

Does he have a job at the moment? Something to give him find experience in the working world? Doesn't need to be engineering related.

@Enginer could he do some volunteering in engineering while he waits for a job? Say a heritage railway or flying museum?

@Esthery thanks. He didn’t really enjoy studying overall and is keen to start earning but he might need to consider a Masters.

Sorry to hear this. Having a Desmond probably won’t help, even if it is from Oxford. Maybe a masters will be a good idea.

@LavenderBlue19 he has been accepted for a clerical job but the onboarding is taking literally weeks. Maybe he needs to give up and try elsewhere.

Sorry to hear about your son's situation. He should be very proud of himself having gone to Oxford.

Job market is very tough at present.

Would he consider teaching English abroad? Japan is famous for its engineering and there are many opportunities to teach English in Japan. I heard JET program is particularly good. People who have been accepted by JET are very much in demand by Japanese companies when they return to the UK.

Something to think about. First jobs are always tricky to get

Has he other work experience? I think he needs to take a job while he looks. It took me two/three months after college to get an Engineering job. It will happen for him. I just took any job until something came up.

@Kosenrufugirl thank you for your kind words. I don’t think he’d be temperamentally suited to that path but I’m grateful for the suggestion.

Taking any job might also be a good idea. Punctuality and team work are always in demand by any employer. Any job would give points to talk at an interview.

I'd think take the clerical job, then apply for Graduate schemes when they open
I think hes missed the boat for this year.

I was told by a lady familiar with the JET program their candidates teach English alongside the Japanese teacher, not on their own. The only downside JET candidates could be sent anywhere in Japan, in the countryside etc, not necessarily to a big city.

He should ideally stick with this clerical
job for now. He will be paid and it gives him a reason to get up in the morning . Job market is v tough and employers can take their time as well as their pick.

Has he approached the likes of Airbus, Rolls Royce etc?.

How many jobs has he applied for?

Another thought is there any agricultural manufacturing firms anywhere nearby they are always looking for Mech Engineers? Smaller mech and elec consultants won’t do graduate programs might be glad of new blood and could be local.

@FamousSideeye he doesn’t give me the full rundown but I’d say between 10 and 20. I’m trying to encourage him to apply for absolutely loads but I think he commits a bit too much to each so doesn’t like that idea.

DS has a Masters in mechanical engineering - it's very much the standard qualification in that sector. It took him and his friends a little while to find jobs but once they'd got experience they've all moved into more senior roles with no difficulty. I would suggest he looks at Masters courses - and does he have much industry experience? He needs to be prepared to travel too - DS and his friends are scattered across the world.

He needs to be prepared to apply for jobs anywhere .
Later
With few years experience he can be choosy.
How many engineering roles in london anyway?
Tell him to apply anywhere in uk
Widen the net
He can rent somewhere anywhere

I’d say consider the masters idea. Is it possible to get a congratulate job in engineering to get some experience or do you think this is a risky strategy?

Without a masters it will be hard for him to get an engineering job, especially with a 2:2.

If he wants to work in engineering then he should really look at doing one next September. There are some interesting options available to him. Have a look at this place. https://cranfield.foleon.com/prospectus/2026-27/

Getting some life experience by working in a job in retail will help. Anything really to keep the CV ticking along. Having it empty looks worse.

I’ve been looking at the Masters idea. Would a part time online masters be any good? I see that places like Leeds and Brunel offer a January start.

I’m clueless about this but he does already have a MEng by the way.